Successful CBA / LLA Practice in My Community
A successful Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) practice I have observed is community-led flood and erosion management in riverine and urban areas of Kinshasa, DRC. Communities living near ravines and flood-prone zones organized themselves to reduce flood risks through traditional drainage maintenance, soil stabilization, and collective early warning practices.
Local people were engaged through community committees, where elders, women, and youth participated in identifying risk areas and organizing collective actions such as clearing drainage channels before the rainy season and reinforcing riverbanks using locally available materials. Decision-making was informal but inclusive, based on local knowledge of rainfall patterns and flood history.
The initiative helped reduce localized flooding, protect homes, and improve community preparedness, even though resources were limited. Traditional practices such as respecting natural water pathways, avoiding construction in sacred or historically flood-prone areas, and communal labor (salongo) played an important role in adaptation.
These practices are closely linked to local values of solidarity and collective responsibility, but they are increasingly threatened by rapid urbanization, migration, and weak policy support. Integrating these practices into Locally-Led Adaptation (LLA) frameworks—through formal recognition, small grants, and technical support—could strengthen their impact and sustainability.
One major barrier remains the lack of predictable funding and limited institutional support, despite strong community ownership.
I am deeply impressed with your community risk management strategies. The community has shown a great element of collaboration in managing the adverse effects of floods. Through collaboration and locally made decisions, your community has been able to reduce the impact of floods and even shown preparedness for any future. Though the risk being managed in my community and your community seems different but the locally led adaptation initiatives and community based adaptation initiatives do correlate in terms of decision making, collaboration, gender equality when it comes to risk management, and planning.